START GETTING THOSE VIOLENT THUNDERSTORMS. OHIO SEEMS TO BE A SEVERE WEATHER MAGNET. OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS OHIO IS RANKED 4TH IN AMERICA FOR LIGHTNING DEATHS, KENTUCKY IS 20TH AND INDIANA 21ST. AND IF YOU THINK LIGHTNING DOESN'T STRIKE THE SAME PLACE TWICE, YOU'RE WRONG. AS OUR WLWT NEWS 5 INVESTIGATION IS ABOUT TO SHOW YOU. (mike Hershey/Lives in Mason"We call this Lightning ally. I've been here almost two years and I've never seen so much lightning.") Mike Hershey lives in Mason. Atleast 10- Houses in his Crooked Tree development have taken direct hits in the last decade. One across the street .. Was torched last year. around the corner 3- homes in the same culde-sac have gone up in flames. Gary Florea's place took a bolt on New Year's Day 2004. (gary Florea/Mason Home struck"We think it hit the top peak of the house, travelled down an electrical line to an outlet right behind my daughter's head in her bedroom") So is Mason really lightning alley? I went to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... for answers... NOAA tracks lightning strikes in 5- by 5 mile plots of land... This way we can compare apples to apples.. I went digging through the stats over the past 5- years... comparing Mason to 4 other areas.. In different corners of the Tri- state... Mason was hit the most ... Averaging 503 strikes a year... Florence, Kentucky had 10- percent fewer strikes.. At 452... Followed by Cincinnati, Lawrenceburg, Indiana ... And Delhi. WLWT News 5's Chief Meteorologist Kevin Robinson.. Says there are a lot of factors that make Mason more vulnerable.. (kevin Robinson/WLWT Chief Meteorologist"The farther North you get of the river, the elevation gradually continues to increase. It kind of peaks in that area..") And then there's the population explosion in the middle of farm country.. Now some of these homes.. Are the highest points around. ("It's a mathmetics game. There's more homes to be struck.. Than there are trees in many cases") ("So you have the copper.. That's hooked up to the lightning rod.") Tony Riley.. An electrician since the age of 18.. is the Owner of Ohio Valley Lightning Protection. Lately.. He's made a living lately in the Mason/West Chester area. (tony Riley/Ohio Valley Lightning Protection"Every Spring when we have these lightning storms .. I'll get atleast 3 or 4 calls where somebody lost everything") Tony says the average home out here gets 7 to 10 points on the roof.. And 3 or 4 rods in the ground.. With some copper wiring in between.. ("All spikes and ground cables are all connected together.. And then go down to earth forming a metal cage with spikes over the house to give lightning a safe path to the ground.") it provides piece of mind for those.. Who never want to live the nightmare.. That became reality for Gary Florea.. ("To this day, the children are really scarred for life.") ("It's something they'll never forget, nor will I") IT'S ABOUT 2- THOUSAND BUCKS FOR THE LIGHTNING SYSTEM THAT PROTECTS THE HOUSE.. ANOTHER 300- 400$ FOR A SURGE SUPPRESSOR THAT KEEPS A SURGE FROM GETTING INTO THE HOUSE AND FRYING YOUR ELECTRONICS. WHAT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THAT? ANY OTHER OPTIONS? FOR LESS THAN 10 BUCKS.. YOU CAN GET ONE OF THOSE SURGE PROTECTOR POWER CHORDS TO PLUG ALL OF YOUR IMPORTANT ELECTRONICS INTO. IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK IF THERE'S A DIRECT HIT, BUT IT CAN PROTECT DURING A NEIGHBORHOOD STRIKE. THERE'S ALSO THE SIMPLE APPROACH. UNPLUG ALL OF YOUR "BIG TICKET" ITEMS WHEN YOU KNOW A STORM IS NEAR. GO TO OUR WEBSITE WLWT.COM... AT THE END OF THE STORY.. I'VE INCLUDED A LINK.. YOU CAN FIND OUT HOW OFTEN YOUR AREA GETS STRUCK ...